you, and prevail with you to truft in God for them? But it may be you will fay, I am not fo much troubled about the outward Estate and Temporal concernments of my Children, in cafe that I fhould be taken from them, as about their Spiritual and Everlasting condi tion. 1. If I fhould Dye, I know not who would take care of them to instruct them, and bring them up in the fear of God. When I am gone, for any thing that I know, they may fall into the hands of those who may either wholly neglect them as to what concerns their Souls, or which is worse, who may corrupt and poyson them. 2. We live in dangerous times; the Anti-Christian Party have been long attempting to bring us once more into Bondage; to fet up Popery amongst us, and to abolish the Proteftant Religion. If fo heavy a Judgment fhould come upon the Land, my Children might be brought up in Superftition and Idolatry, to the everlasting Ruin and Deftruction of their Souls, which I cannot think of without Horror. When I confider how great our Dangers are, how Slippery Slippery our prefent condition and ftation is, what dismal Calamities may be coming upon us, what Miferies may be even at the door; methinks I could for mine own part be very willing to leave this World, and to be taken away from the evil to come: but when I again confider what mifery may befal the Souls of my Children when I am gone; this makes me unwilling to leave them in fuch a Perilous and Critical feafon, and I am more Thoughtful and Solici tous about them, than about any other concernments that I have in all the World. These I grant, are very great and important matters, and fuch as deferve your most serious thoughts. But yet however you muft take heed that you be not Inordinately and Sinfully dif quieted about them; which you may eafily be, if you give way to the workings of your own heart. You may af flict your mind with endless thoughts of thefe matters; but when all is done, you must fix on this at laft, that God is to be trufted with these things as well as with any thing elfe. When the time is come that you muft bid farewel to all things under the Sun, and pass into another another World, with whom can you truft them fafely and fecurely, but with God? Who is there in all the World that can be relyed on for these matters, but he who is the Supream Governour of the World, and manageth all the Affairs and Tranfactions thereof according to the counsel of his own will ? But to fpeak a few words more particularly to both the fore-mentioned grounds of your trouble. 1. You are troubled about the Education and Inftruction of your Children when you fhall be taken away from them. Here thefe Two things are incumbent on you in Relation to them. 1. That you be careful to discharge your Duty in Relation to their Souls while you are with them; that is to fay, that you pray much for them, that you inftruct them if they be capable. thereof; that you endeavour to check and fupprefs vice in them, that you inure them to the practice of Religious. Duties; that you walk before them in the way to Heaven, and give them good Example, and the like. 2. That you take the best and most prudent order that you can for the good of their Souls, after that you fhall be taken taken from them; that you endeavour as much as in you lies, to leave them to the Care, Tuition, Inftruction, and Government of those concerning whofe faithfulness in the discharge of fo weighty a trust, you have the greatest confidence. These two things having been performed, you have done your Duty and as for what may further concern them with Relation to the good of their Souls after your Deceafe, you muft refer your felf and them to God, caft them on God's providence, and truft in him for what relates to their Spiritual and Everlasting good, as well as for their Temporal well-being. And that you may the better do it,Confider 1. That God hath promised to be the God of his People and of their Seed after them. This promise he made to Abraham the father of the faithful, Gen. 17.7. And the fame promise is made to all true Believers who tread in the steps of Abraham; for they are the children of Abraham, Gal. 3. 7. They are the Children of the Covenant, and to them the promise Extends, even to as many as the Lord fhall call, A&ts 2. 39. 2. God hath promised to Circumcife the heart of his People, and the heart of of their Children, Deut. 30. 6. To pour his spirit upon their feed, and his bleffing проп their off Spring, Ifa. 44. 3. To fhew mercy unto thousands of them that love him, and keep his commandments, Exod. 10. 6. Which promises, and whatfoever elfe there are to the like effect, though they are not fo to be understood as if God by them did abfolutely ingage himfelf to beftow Grace upon all and every one of the pofterity of his Children, yet is there very much in fuch promises, fo much, as that a true Believer may upon that account with much inward peace and quiet, leave his pofterity to the care and difpofal of God in what concerns their Souls, and trust him with them ; yet fo, as not prefcribing to him what he fhould do for them or with them, but fubmitting all to his most Wife and Righteous difpofal. 2. As for the other ground of your trouble, viz. that if Popery fhould prevail amongst us, your Children might be trained up in Superftition and Idolatry, and fo everlastingly miscarry; to this I fay, 1. Though we have caufe to fear upon feveral accounts that Popery may at last prevail,efpecially confidering our horrid |